USS Constitution renovations nearly done

Thursday

Jul 20, 2017 at 8:00 AMJul 25, 2017 at 11:43 AM

Maureen Sullivan Maureen Sullivan msullivan@wickedlocal.com

BOSTON — In May 2015, I stood under the keel of the USS Constitution.

The oldest commissioned warship in the world had just gone into dry dock, and work had just begun to remove the rigging, the cannon, at least some of the hull planks, the caulking and the more than 2,400 copper plates that loomed just above me. The plates, installed in 1996, had turned that “old statue” green; plans called for the old plates to be converted into jewelry.

Twenty-six months later, and the Constitution's keel gleams like the jewelry (not green, but nice shiny copper) in the gift shop. As I stood under the keel again, as part of a media tour on Monday, July 17, I saw some of the nearly 100,000 names etched into the new plates by visitors to the USS Constitution's museum.

The etchings were part of special educational programs conducted by the museum while the vessel has been in dry dock. Volunteers and members of the Constitution's crew helped answer questions as visitors toured the museum and the upper deck of the ship itself; visitors could followed the progress of the refit both at the museum and online via the museum's website.

During the media tour, Anne Grimes Rand, the president of the museum, presented details on the ship's return to the water on Sunday, July 23. The museum will be open until midnight, and there will be a variety of free, family-friendly activities before the Constitution is refloated and guided out of dry dock.

“We'll offer a toast around 11:30 p.m.,” said Rand.

Rand, along with the U.S. Naval command staff of the Constitution and Margherita M. Desy, historian with the Naval History and Heritage Command Detachment Boston, which is based at the Constitution's home, the Charlestown Navy Yard, talked about the Constitution's role in American history.

“We look to where we have been, to where we are now, and we look to the future,” said Commander Robert Gerosa, who has been commanding officer of the Constitution since 2015.

During the tour, Desy showed the dry dock, which has been in use since the 1830s, making it one of the oldest in the U.S. She also pointed out the keel blocks and planks that support the vessel, as well as the caisson at one end of the dry dock; around 4 p.m. on July 23, the caisson's valves will be opened, and the dock will begin to flood. The Constitution will lift off the blocks around 10 p.m., and will be towed out and temporarily docked at Pier One East in the Navy Yard.

According to Lieutenant Jack McQuarrie, the Constitution's operations officer, the vessel will be closed to the public while it undergoes the final phase of its refit.

“She will remain closed for several weeks while she is re-rigged and her guns are loaded onboard,” McQuarrie said via email. “During that time, the repaired hull planks will swell while submerged to make her watertight.

“We will continue to monitor the ship during this process and assess the repairs completed during the restoration…”

According to McQuarrie, the ship may be reopened to the public in early September; plans call for a “turnaround” cruise on Oct. 20, in time for the ship's 220th birthday.

Back in the Water

The USS Constitution Museum will be open on Sunday, July 23, from 9 a.m.-midnight, with free family-friendly activities from 4-8 p.m.

There will be hands-on activities, music and gallery talks for all ages, along with a chance to make a souvenir button, and a chance to watch the flooding of Dry Dock 1 and see “Old Ironsides” afloat again.

Among the programs offered that day:

— Visitor can try the shipbuilding tools that made Constitution shipshape again, from the treenails that kept her planking in place to her waterproof caulking.

— Constitution will float later on July 23 (approximately 11 p.m.), but visitors will have a chance to build a tinfoil boat, and see whether it floats

— Practice knot-tying skills while learning about the different lines aboard “Old Ironsides.”

— Visitors can also mark themselves with a limited-edition temporary tattoo of Constitution in dry dock.